we haven't made the case that women have -- and people who are making decisions about reproduction, a process that occurs in their body, that it is within their agency as human beings to make those decisions. >> for more of this weekend's schedule, go to book tv.org. >> republican senators met with the president at the white house to strategize on their effort to pass a health care law to replace the affordable care act. before their meeting, the president spoke about the problems with the current law. >> thank you. hard.'s not we're close. i think we are a lot closer than people understand and we have to pull it through. important. we are in this room today to

deliver on our promise to the american people to repeal obama care and to ensure that they have a health care that they need. . we have no choice -- we have no choice. we have to repeal and replace obamacare. en -- we can repeal it, but the best would be repeal and replace. so let's keep going. i intend to keep my promise and i know you will, too. obama care remains have skyrocketed. in alaska, they went up over 200% recently. we know that. in arizona, they have been up 118% compared and those states are good compared to some of the numbers coming out. despite the promise that premiums would decrease by $2500 on average, they have increased muchmost $3000, and even more than that in some cases. it is crushing the middle class and the families of the middle class. it is crushing our country.

obamacare was a big lie. you can keep your doctor. live. you can keep your plan. lie dead it was a lie directly from the president. you can keep your doctor here you can keep your plan. 28 times, he said it. 28 times. and it was a lie and he knew it was. now it is hurting this country irreparably. premiums are so high that 6.5 million americans chose to pay a fine to the irs instead of buying insurance, the famous mandate. we will pay not to take the insurance. people don't understand that. they don't even understand what it is or what it represents. if obamacare is not repealed in 1300 counties in the united states will have only one insurer. 40 counties will have absolutely no coverage in the exchange.

and that number will grow rapidly. i think those numbers are extremely conservative. i think they are very low. monthsbeen here just six . i am ready to act. i have pen in hand. believe me. i am sitting in my office. i have pen in hand. you never had that before. for seven years, you had an easy route. we will repeal. we will replace. and he is never going to sign it. but i am signing it. so it is a little bit different. but i am ready to act him or seven years, you promised the american people that you would repeal obama care. people are hurting. -- inaction is not an option. we think we should leave town unless -- we shouldn't leave town unless we have an insurance plan, less we can give our people great health care. because we are close. we are very close. the other night, i was very

surprised when i heard a couple of my friends -- my friends -- they really were and are -- they may not be very much longer, but that -- [laughter] i think. i have to get them back. you didn't go out there. this is the one we were worried about. you were not there. [laughter] look, he wants to remain a senator, doesn't he? i think the people of your stick, which i know very well, i think they will appreciate what you hopefully will do. any senator that works against starting debate is really telling america that you are fine with obama care. but being fine with obamacare isn't an option for another reason. because it's gone. it's failed. it's not going to be around. we pay hundreds of millions of dollars of months in some studies the courts do not even want us to pay. and when those payments stop, it stops immediately.

it doesn't take two years, three years, one years. it stops immediately. on the other hand, a yes vote will let senators debate the .uture of health care that is what we are going to do today. that is what we are going to do at lunch. we are so close. we have no democrat help. they are obstructionists.that is all they are good at. they have no ideas. .hey have gone so far left they are looking for single-payer. that is what they want. but single-payer will bankrupt our country because it is more than we take in for just health care. so single-payer is never going to work. but that is what they would like to do. they have no idea what the consequence will be. and it will be horrible, horrible health care, where you wait in line for weeks to see a doctor. but we are going to expand tax-free savings accounts to coverage.ealth care

getting washington out of the way and getting more control and funding back to the states. stabilizing exchanges so that those pre-existing conditions are protected. , andisten to schumer before he even knew with the plan said -- he didn't see it appear in most of the people in this room never side. and he said death, everyone is good to die. that is the only thing they are good at. this is a great plan. this is a just a good plan. this is far better than obamacare, and more generous than obamacare. is reallyicaid, which on an unsustainable path, unless -- and let's states spend those dollars freely. and as a small entity, the states will be able to take better care of a person with a bad back, with a bad prognosis, with a problem. i would like the federal government to focus on the

middle east, to focus on north where to focus on things we have very big problems. states can do a better job than the federal government. and that is what we are letting you do. billion toitting $45 help combat the opioid epidemic. some states in particular like that. my message is really simple. we shouldn't leave town. we should hammer this out and get it done. and not just the repeal. the repeal was fine. but we have to get more. i think the people of this country need more than repeal. they need a repeal and a replace. and we were very close. happened.ittle things

but now we are very close again. we have to get it there. otherohn cordon the night, we had a couple of things that we put down on paper. i will read a very fast. these are the things that are done. the democrats are always selling their plan, but they don't do anymore. they don't talk about obama care anymore because they can't because it is failed. they own it -- they know it. so they are selling their plan and we never sold our plan. down these few things. repeals the individual mandate. how big is that? what people are paying -- where people are paying a to have insurance.repeals job killing employer mandate . how big is that? substantially lower premiums. and remember this. cross country lines, cross state lines.

is almost impossible for insurance companies to compete in different states. we can't because of unfortunately the 60 votes. but it will come very soon. we are putting in a popular bill. and that will come and your premiums will be down 60% and 70%. people don't know that. nobody hears it. nobody talks about it. we will have to cross state lines. you will have insurance companies bidding -- you will have forms of insurance you do not even know about right now. because that is the way it works. there will be tremendous competition. so your premiums will be substantially lower. repeals burdensome taxes. will restore choices. the bill also provides for expanded coverage options. so you will have a chairman to slay expanded coverage and

options. will stabilize insurance markets. the markets right now, by the way, argonne. they are a mess -- are gone. they are a mess. the insurance companies are all fleeing. . you listen to the coverage, they say -- you listen to the oh,crats, they say, [indiscernible] hsa's, devote the substantial resources to fight opioid and other substance abuse. will provide better coverage for low-income americans. by the way, low income americans, under our plan -- and we are doing things at this meeting, which i think you will be very happy about -- we are going to spend some more money to make sure everybody is protected. will provide better coverage for low-income americans.

will approve medical outcomes for low-income americans. puts medicaid on a sustainable path, which is not on right now. levels the playing field for states when it comes to federal dawdle's -- federal dollars. and redirect a 30 from washington, d.c., to the states, which i already said, where they can innovate and develop the best practices and on a smaller basis they will be able to take care people better. , but we shouldl repeal and replace and we shouldn't leave town until this is complete, until this bill is on my desk and until we all go to the oval office. i will sign it and we can celebrate for the american people. thank you very much. [applause]

thank you very much. >> the president then met with republican senators over lunch to discuss their legislative strategy. politico is reporting that several case senators that voted against earlier versions of the republican plan are meeting at the white house this evening to resolve their differences. after their luncheon meeting this afternoon, mitch mcconnell spoke to reporters outside the white house. >> we just had a great lunch with the